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From the rules:

"A character can lift as much as double his maximum load off the ground, but he or she can only stagger around with it. [...]
A character can generally push or drag along the ground as much as five times his maximum load."

Should the carried weight (weapons, armor, equipment, etc.) count against the lifting and dragging maximum values?

Let's assume the caracters are talking to a stranger and he tells them his true appearance is different from what they see because it is concealed for safety reasons.
Unknown to the charactes, the stranger's true identity has been concealed by a Disguise Self spell.
What does happen at this point?
Do they receive a passive saving throw to recognize his appearance as illusory, even if they have not interacted physically with him during the conversation?
Are they allowed to study him carefully (only by sight and hearing) in order to receive the saving throw, even if they do not know the disguise he is using is an illusion?

Knowledge (Arcana) allows you to identify a spell effect that is in place (CD 20 + spell level), a spell that just targeted you (CD 25 + spell level) and the spells cast using a specific material component (CD 20).
Spellcraft allows you to identify a spell as it is being cast (CD 15 + spell level).

Which skill should be used to determine if a character knows the existence of a particular spell and is able to plan to take advantage of its effects or avoid them?
Let's suppose I am a bard and I want to know the spell Magic Missile is on the wizard's spell list and its approximate effects, the spell Detect Evil is on the cleric's spell list and its approximate effects, and the spell Entangle is on the druid's spell list and its approximate effects.
What should I roll? And what should the DC be?

As a DM, I would establish the skill involved is Knowledge (Arcana), with a DC of 10 + spell level.
Do you think it is appropriate?

How do spellcasters obtain their familiars?
Do they go out and search for the creature they want? In this case, should they pick only creatures available in their region? And how does it work with extraplanar familiars (Imps, Quasits, Elementals, etc.)?
Or does the process work like one of the effects of the Conjuration Subschools (Calling, Creation, Summoning, Teleport) and the familiar pops up or is created through a magical ritual? In this case, is it possible to pick a familiar which belongs to a different habitat (a turtle in an artic region, an owl in a desertic region, a monkey in an urban region, etc.)?